Is your website losing your business money?

If you’re aiming to garner interest in your business, there can be no substitute for having a great website. It’s of vital importance for keeping your existing clientele and attracting new customers. Although more business owners are choosing to develop an online presence, not all websites are made equal. So now we must ask ourselves that all-important question – is your website losing you money?

Is your website up to scratch?

Despite the necessity for a well-organised and beautifully designed website, many SME owners still haven’t created a professional website. This seriously hampers their ability to spread their message and make further sales.

A website is your digital shopfront, it is the first thing your customers see and judge your business by. So don’t underestimate the benefits, getting your website up to scratch is imperative. Don’t lose money and customers to a bad website – fix it!

How can you improve your business?

If you’re intent on creating a website for your business, you either have to do it right or not at all. There is no middle ground. Customers should be able to gather, at just a glance, what your business is all about. They should be able to see your commitment to quality and be reassured that they’re getting the best value for their money. As well as containing professionally-taken photographs, cramming it with tonnes of useful information about your services, products and sector-specific news is an absolute must. These are just some of the obvious points to aspire towards, but there is still so much more potential to unlock in your website. So delving into the nitty-gritty detail, here are some more aspects to consider:

• Security

If your customers are to pay online, the very least they can expect is for your website to be secure. Now more than ever, customers are on guard for anything that could expose them to online theft or fraud. Customers can now install add-ons to their browser that will review your site’s security rating before even clicking. One of the key aspects that customers will scrutinise is your SSL Certification. Plus, if your business is still using simple HTTP instead of HTTPS, it is very likely that search engines such as Google will penalise your website, reducing its ranking. In addition, if your security is weak, or SSL certificates are out of date, customers will be warned away by a big red pop up in the middle of their screens.

• Mobile functionality

Increasing numbers of British consumers are choosing to conduct their business across mobile platforms. Because of the varying screen sizes between smart devices, your standard website simply won’t do. When accessing any website across a mobile device, the last thing they want to be doing is pinching the screen to zoom in.  Be proactive rather than reactive, either optimize your site to fit better and more orderly onto smaller screens or create a parallel mobile-based website for mobile users to be redirected towards. Your customers are busy people, they’re looking at websites whilst on the go. So if it is not arranged and presented neatly for them they’ll simply shop elsewhere.

• Testing and troubleshooting

Testing your business is a must. Sure, it may look professional with lots of neatly laid out images and text, but how does it perform in practice? Is it easy to navigate? Do the payment sections, such as your Paypal Express Checkout option, work correctly? Do shopping cart areas allow customers to edit their orders? How long does it take for pages to upload?

Customers are impatient and unforgiving. If sections of your website aren’t working or allow customers to access them properly they will move on and shop elsewhere. It’s also worth noting that even a half-second longer than normal loading time can drive away business. Customers have been conditioned to expect a page upload in 3 seconds tops, any longer and they’ll become agitated and leave.

How can you fund improvements to your business’s website?

Of course, making changes to your business’s website does cost a pretty penny. As well as dedicating your time and energy, you may need to fork out for additional equipment and outside expertise. So rather than part with large sums of your capital, you could minimise the burden on your business by, instead, accessing the alternative finance industry with Rangewell.

Why Rangewell?

Our values are simple – We’re on your side. Our services are clear and transparent. We support a wide range of SME businesses of every shape and size, for finding every type of finance. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for business tips and tricks, and feel free to call us on 0203 637 2340 if you’d like to chat about what we can do for you.